Concerning laws concerning bicycling, and their enforcement.
0
votes
2answers
48 views
Is there legal recourse to drivers passing too close?
I'm a daily commuter on my road bike. I commute into Manchester NH. Over the years drivers seem to have gotten better and better at passing me safely. I attribute this to the following:
Me learning ...
5
votes
5answers
178 views
Left Turn Across Major Intersection
I'm new at biking, and have seen many examples of left-turn situations, but none that quite match this one. Simply, what is the proper / best way to complete the turn pictured below, or is it smarter ...
3
votes
2answers
260 views
What is the braking (stopping) distance for bicycles?
A vehicle driver must keep enough braking distance (aka stopping distance) between him/her and a vehicle in front in order to avoid collision. It depends on the driving speed.
What is the braking ...
14
votes
4answers
553 views
How can I mitigate the risk of public urination charges on long rides?
Qualifying offenses for the sex offender registry
can include public urination. Though the chance may be small, the potential consequences are severe. Unfortunately, bladders are apparently designed ...
7
votes
3answers
718 views
Are tow-hitch bike racks legal? [closed]
I am considering buying a tow hitch and bike rack for my minivan to transport a few bikes for an upcoming vacation. I've read a few reviews of these bike racks, and many folks have said that their ...
3
votes
3answers
234 views
Reflective tape instead of rear reflector
I currently have not enough room on my seat post for a saddle bag, rear reflector and a rear light.
My question is if replacing the rear reflector with reflective tape on the saddle bag would be ...
6
votes
3answers
359 views
Is a headlight required to emit light to the sides?
The California Vehicle Code says:
(d) A bicycle operated during darkness upon a highway, a sidewalk
where bicycle operation is not prohibited by the local jurisdiction,
or a bikeway, as ...
1
vote
3answers
805 views
Should I fight a ticket I got for riding my bicycle in a crosswalk? [closed]
I was riding my bicycle home. I live on a one way and was waiting in the crosswalk while oncoming traffic down the one-way was green. This was at a 4 way intersection. There was no oncoming traffic ...
6
votes
3answers
198 views
Does a three foot passing law actually require drivers to give three feet?
Utah has a three foot passing law that states:
Title 41 Chapter 6a Section 706.5
Operation of motor vehicle near bicycle prohibited.
An operator of a motor vehicle may not knowingly, ...
9
votes
2answers
365 views
Can cars legally drive in the bike lane down the street?
Every day on my way to school there is a long street with a bike lane and two car lanes on each side. But when the street is jammed I have cars going really fast behind me and honking because I'm not ...
4
votes
2answers
150 views
Cycling on Manchester Metrolink tram routes
I have been looking around for information on this topic but can't find anything definitive.
The tram routes through Manchester city centre are for trams (obviously), but it seems public transport ...
6
votes
3answers
890 views
Must cyclist yield to car turning right across a bike lane into driveway?
While riding in the bike lane on a four lane street in Northern California, a car passed me on my left, stopped in the right-hand lane twenty to thirty feet ahead of me, and signaled to turn right ...
5
votes
2answers
285 views
Laws applying to Homemade Tricycles
I am a freshman in high school who is planning to build his own recumbent tricycle. However, I would be very disappointed if my creation was illegal to ride on bike paths and sidewalks. I have ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views
Is it legal to pass a car on the right when that car is turning?
So I've been poring over the bikes SE, and as a recreational biker and an automobile commuter, I'm naturally most interested in topics addressing how bikes interact with automotive traffic.
In one ...
11
votes
4answers
716 views
What is the 3 foot law and which states have it?
Some states seem to have something called the 3 foot law to keep cars away from cyclists. Why 3 feet? Which states have it?
3
votes
2answers
395 views
Are Velomobiles street legal in the UK?
I saw a question about velomobiles and recumbent bikes and I was wondering if they were street legal in the UK?
Can you ride one on a cycle path or would you have to stick to roads?
6
votes
6answers
578 views
The back brake on my bike is not functional, is it illegal for me to cycle?
I live in the UK and cycle to and from work. I recently noticed that the back brake on the bike is not functioning. Is it legal for me to be cycling on the road (the front brake works fine but it is a ...
5
votes
8answers
774 views
Why are bicycles considered vehicles and not “walking aid”?
The Bicycles.SE blog states "Cyclists are vehicles, not pedestrians.". I think most of this community, plus most of the laws agree with that.
However, a cyclist has the speed, mass and ...
1
vote
2answers
491 views
California: Riding against traffic on a one-way street
I did some searching, but I can't seem to find a definitive answer to this question. Is it legal to ride against traffic on a one-way street (no bike lane) in California, specifically in Los Angeles?
...
8
votes
3answers
850 views
If I report intentional dangerous driving to police, will it have any effect?
Today I was riding ~3 feet out from parked cars (dooring is the most common way to get killed) and this pickup truck comes up behind me and just lays on its horn for an entire block. The driver was ...
37
votes
8answers
3k views
Why is it safer to bike with traffic, instead of facing oncoming cars?
There has been an ongoing debate in my area's local newspaper, regarding biking with vs. against the flow of traffic. A recent incident in which a cyclist was hit from behind, and later died of his ...
16
votes
7answers
588 views
How to convince fellow cyclists to follow the rules, like stopping at red lights?
I'm basically a year-round cyclist in Toronto, Canada. The popularity of bicycling as a form of transportation and commuting here has been growing over the past few years, and I'm generally happy ...
3
votes
10answers
684 views
Safe cycling lights red but the man is green
At a standard road crossing, the lights have turned red, but the man has gone green for pedestrians to cross. What do you do?
Honestly in the situation I coast through as long as there is room. (i.e ...
6
votes
3answers
407 views
After an accident, what next?
Cycling home in the dark a car pulled across me to enter a super market car park. Apparently the car that let him cross didn't remove their full beam so he didn't see me in the cycle lane and I hit ...
8
votes
4answers
610 views
Is it generally the case that bikes are allowed to use the “full lane”?
Many blogs and other sources of information on cycling advocate "riding like a car" or "taking the lane" as a way to increase safety and visibility when riding on a road. But such advice presupposes ...
4
votes
2answers
174 views
Rules for rotary/roundabout?
Does a cyclist have the right of way in a traffic circle/roundabout/rotary (in the US)? Any tips for riding around one of these scary things?
This past summer, I was riding around a rotary (a.k.a. ...
2
votes
5answers
284 views
How do hand signals vary between countries?
There are several conventions on how to signal properly
The simple method (straight left arm = left, straight right arm = right)
This answer on SE depicts a left-arm-only way of signalling (straight ...
4
votes
2answers
634 views
Legal to ride bikes on sidewalks in Seattle?
I know in parts of the US it is illegal for bicyclists to ride their bikes on the sidwalk. I've been seeing it a lot in Seattle, WA, US and not sure if it's allowed.
5
votes
1answer
521 views
Is it legal for me to ride a bicycle on the pavement (sidewalk)?
UK only, just wanted to check if it's actually legal. The area I'm living on is deadly on the roads, so want to know about riding on pavements (sidewalk/pedestrian walkways) instead where there is no ...
3
votes
4answers
406 views
What statutes govern the directing of traffic by citizens in Massachusetts?
Are there laws or statutes governing the directing of traffic by citizens or "members of the public"?
A scenario I often encounter is one in which someone — typically another rider or pedestrian in a ...
14
votes
4answers
8k views
Can cyclists legally ride on the sidewalk?
Can cyclists ride on the sidewalk? What if the road in question has no bike lane? If cyclists can ride on the sidewalk, does it matter which side of the road the sidewalk is on? I live in California - ...
4
votes
5answers
1k views
Are runners allowed to use the bike lane?
This morning on my commute I encountered a runner in the bike lane I was riding in. This irked me because:
The bike lane was on a busy street, with three lanes of motor vehicle traffic in each ...
2
votes
3answers
258 views
Can racks cause damage to a bike?
Reading this question about the best way to lift a bike on to a pictured rack, it struck me that I'd be less worried about how to lift the bike than the potential for damage by hanging the bike from ...
8
votes
2answers
818 views
Are public bicycle rack providers liable if your bicycle is stolen from their rack?
My bicycle was insured and locked to a leisure centre provided bicycle rack while I was in the leisure centre and was stolen by the time I came out. I was later informed that someone else had their ...
0
votes
2answers
110 views
Which countries should be avoided due to political reasons? [closed]
This question raises more questions here.
Please, keep politics totally separated of safety and answer here political reasons not to cycle in some countries. The user Ambo100's earlier example about ...
1
vote
4answers
267 views
How should I alight from the pavement?
Whenever I'm exploring a new bike route or climbing a steep hill, I often need to get of the road and onto the pavement to avoid motorists, pushing my bike on the pavement until I feel it is ...
12
votes
4answers
408 views
Alternatives to trailers for transporting young children
A representative in Oregon has recently introduced a bill that would prohibit children under the age of six from riding in bicycle trailers. While it is far too early to tell whether this bill will ...
5
votes
3answers
278 views
Is taking a bike TRAILER on SF Bay Area Rapid Transit permitted?
My partner and I were considering purchasing a Burley Travoy (http://www.burley.com/products/cargo-utilities/travoy.cfm). We thought we might do this because we like to get groceries at Rainbow in ...
9
votes
4answers
279 views
Should I be concerned about new helmet laws?
In Australia there was recently a change to to bicycle helmet standards as outlined in AS/NZS 2063:2008.
Basically, helmets complying to the 1996 version of the standard will soon become illegal to ...
5
votes
5answers
302 views
Is it ever legal in the USA not to have two brakes on a bike?
When using a bike on a road in the USA, is it ever legal not to have separate brakes on the front and back wheels?
3
votes
2answers
204 views
Is it ever legal in the UK not to have two brakes on a bike?
When using a bike on a road in the UK, is it ever legal not to have separate brakes on the front and back wheels?
17
votes
6answers
392 views
Do cyclists warrant special consideration under traffic laws?
I recently saw a YouTube channel where a motorist with an agenda has taken it upon himself to film cyclists as they break traffic laws. Most (perhaps not all) of the actions I observed would be what I ...
12
votes
4answers
485 views
Is complaining to companies about bad driving like howling at the moon?
On my commute in this morning I found myself in another situation where I was in conflict with another road user. (Briefly, a truck and I arrived at a roundabout at a roughly similar time, but I was ...
14
votes
6answers
459 views
In shared bicycle/pedestrian facilities next to a road, do I obey the pedestrian or the vehicle traffic control devices?
My commute takes me on a bike path that runs parallel to a road (with a sidewalk in between). When crossing other roads, the sidewalk and bike path merge, and there is one curb-cut and cross walk with ...
13
votes
6answers
402 views
If I'm riding on the road, and there is a red light but a walk signal in my direction, should I go?
I frequently come to stop lights in which there is an all-way stop and a pedestrian signal. I always stop at such lights, but I'm wondering if I should then bike slowly across after determining that ...
10
votes
8answers
664 views
When should cyclists use pedestrian facilities?
I generally try to ride in traffic as a vehicle, following the rules of the road, stopping at red lights, taking the lane, etc. In many urban areas, you are not allowed to ride on the sidewalk ...
20
votes
5answers
1k views
Which states or countries have stop-sign-as-yield laws for bicyclists (Idaho stop law)?
In Idaho (PDF), bicyclists are allowed to treat stop signs as yields, and red lights as stop signs (essentially; see the actual law for details). This seems like a very reasonable approach, balancing ...
33
votes
14answers
3k views
Can you be ticketed for breaking the speed limit on a bike?
Given that bikes aren't required to have a speed indicator, can you be arrested for breaking the speed limit on a bike?
6
votes
4answers
437 views
Where Can I Legally Ride Off Road in the UK?
As it says in the title, where can I ride legally ride my mountain bike off road in the UK?
